Injustice in the Name of the People
by benbrattlover
Summary: UPDATED! CH. 6 UP! What if Todd really WAS executed? How would the people of Llanview, especially Starr, Jack, Viki, Evangeline, Bo, Paige, Blair & the evil Spencer Truman react to having killed a man for a crime that never happened? CraVe, Cliki & more!
1. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I just want to let my readers know that this isn't the way I wrote my story, but every time I upload it, the site changes my indentation, tabs, paragraphs, line spacing, fonts, etc. I know it looks really sloppy but this is not the way I wrote it, yet I can't figure out how to get the site to return my stories to their original format, so please bear with me, and excuse me.

Please read and review. Be kind, yet please give me honest feedback. If you have a negative comment, it is okay to post it, but also include some practical suggestions on how I could make the story better. I love to write stories and poems and I want to be a good writer so I don't mind any negative comments as long as they are not flames. Positive and/or helpful advice and pointers are appreciated and welcomed. Negative, AND unconstructive feedback is not, and will be deleted. Otherwise, feel free to write what you think, with the exception of flames. Thank you!

Also, if you would like to be notified whenever I update a story, or post any new stories to this site, and you are a registered member of (Registration & membership is free) you can add me to your Author Alert list, and will then receive an email notification every time a new story is posted or a current story is updated by me, or any other author on your Alert list.

To participate, all that is needed is, once you have logged onto the site, click on the Author Alert link, and enter the ID# of the Author(s) you want to add to your Alert list (Enter only 1 ID at a time) Then, click on the "Add Author" button, and you're all done! If you are interested in adding me to your Author Alert list, the following is my ID#44374

I don't own any of the characters, except for the ones that I create. The "One Life to Live" characters belong to Dena Higley, Brian Frons, ABC, SoapNet, and all the other creators, writers, producers and directors of this TV show. I'm NOT making ANY money off of them. But I've written this story, I own this story, and all the others that I write, or have written. Please do not use, copy, post elsewhere, or reproduce it in any way, shape, or form without my permission. Thanks!

Please keep in mind, that I've only been watching "One Life to Live" for a few years. So, if I get some of the background information wrong, please do not flame me. I'm am trying my best to get all the characters, events, and personalities right, but if I mess up somewhere, please understand and hold off on throwing the tomatoes :) ! Thanks!

Also, because I do NOT remember the name of the Warden at Lehigh Prison, I am just going to rename him for this fanfic. So in this story he'll be called Warden Lafferty (after the smug and self-righteous warden in the movie, "Last Dance" with Sharon Stone). His name is Warden Mark Lafferty.

As much as I LOVE Todd, especially the relationship he had with Blair, and has with his kids, especially Starr, I was just thinking the other day (before I saw that Todd survived) about what would happen to Starr, and everyone else who loved and believed in Todd, if he was really put to death. As GLAD as I am that Todd was NOT killed off, I wondered how they all would have responded to the truth coming out after it was too late, and Todd was already gone. So since I've not written any other OLTL fanfic before, I decided to start with this one.

Summary: What if Todd really WAS executed for the murders of Margaret Cochran & T.J.? What if John and Natalie had arrived with Margaret and David at Lehigh Prison, but it was too late, and Todd was already dead? How would the people of Llanview react to the discovery that they killed a man for a crime that never happened? Most importantly, what would happen with Starr, Jack, Viki, Evangeline, Bo, Paige, Blair and the evil Dr. Spencer Truman?

Setting: Takes place right after Todd Manning has been executed by lethal injection.

Pairing (s): "CraVe" (Cristian/Evangeline), "Jolie" (John/Natalie), Clint/Viki, Michael/Marcie, Rex/Adriana, and maybe, possibly Kevin/Kelly at some point, later on.

Rating: PG - PG-13 in first few chapters, then may or may not increase to R rating, depending on author's whims:)

Contact: Any extra comments (beyond the review) questions, or concerns, Email me at: benbrattlover at yahoo dot com

Enjoy and after you're done, please hit the pretty, and sexy, little purple button at the bottom of the page, and leave me a review. Thank you!

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Todd Manning was dead. The toxic and deadly combination of chemicals had been administered via intravenous (I.V.) tubes, they had achieved their desired effect, and the Lehigh Prison doctor had pronounced him dead, calling the 'Time of Death' several minutes earlier. The heart monitor and other machines had just been turned off when the Observation Room doors flew open, and John McBain ran inside, tightly gripping the arm of a struggling redhead.

"Stop the execution!" shouted John anxiously. " Do you hear me? Stop the execution! Todd Manning is innocent! Margaret Cochran is alive!"

As John burst into the room with Margaret, everyone turned to stare at the intruders, their faces suddenly filling with a variety of emotions. Shock, disbelief, confusion, fear, anger, grief, sadness, and fury were just a few of the expressions evident on the faces of the witnesses to Todd Manning's wrongful execution.

"Todd!" Blair screamed loudly, turning and seeing her the father of her children lying motionless, still strapped down on the gurney. "You WERE really innocent! Someone do something! Please save him!"

With tears gushing from her eyes, and rolling down her cheeks, Blair ran over to the observation window, shrieking as she clung to its pane with both hands, as if she was hoping to, not only break through the glass, but also the invisible deep, dark chasm that now separated them. The road toward this moment had begun long ago, but the impenetrable line that divided Todd and Blair, and created this estrangement was set in motion when Blair stopped believing in Todd, lost faith in his innocence, and found comfort and solace in the arms of another man.

As Blair just stood there, rooted in the same spot, yelling Todd's name over and over, she started remembering all the times she refused to listen when Todd claimed he was framed. ''Todd said he was innocent, and he WAS telling the truth,' she thought. 'He also said that Spencer had set him up. Was he telling the truth about that too?'

Blair grasped the Observation Window, sobbing hysterically and screaming at the top of her lungs, until finally Viki, through her own tears, along with Bo, took Blair by the arm and guided her back to her seat, as Lieutenant John McBain tried to reason with Warden Lafferty.

"You have to listen to me!" John pleaded with the warden. "I just found the alleged "victim", Margaret Cochran, alive, well, and hiding out in Bangkok, Thailand! Please, you've got to stop this execution! Todd Manning is innocent!"

The warden just shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant McBain. But you're too late," he answered. "Todd Manning was given the lethal injection at the scheduled time, as ordered, and he was pronounced dead several minutes ago. You're too late. Mr. Manning is already gone."

"No, that can't be!" John's face fell, as the crushing, and devastating realization finally hit him, that he had once again failed. Todd Manning was dead – executed for a crime he did not commit, a crime that indeed had never even happened. Now two innocent young children were left fatherless – just like he and Michael had been, all those years ago, and it was all because of Margaret Cochran, David Vickers, Paige Miller, and Spencer Truman.

John glanced at Todd lying on the gurney, and picturing Starr, and Jack growing up without their dad, he just shook his head. "There must be something we can still do – some way to bring Todd back," he argued, looking at the phones, that had been reserved for last minute reprieve calls. "Call the paramedics. They could still get here in time to resuscitate Todd. There has to be some way to revive him."

"I'm sorry, Lieutenant. There isn't. Once the injection has been given, there is absolutely no way to reverse it." Warden Lafferty replied, staring at Margaret, the shock still apparent on his face. "I don't know what to say. Nothing like this has ever happened before."

"Well it has happened now!" growled Evangeline in fury, as she tried to rise from her seat, and go towards the sound of the voices, before Cristian gently took her by the arm, and helping her up, he guided her over to the warden, until she was standing in front of them.

John turned to the very pretty and now blind attorney, who was once his girlfriend. "Evangeline, maybe you should sit down," he said, nodding to the young man whose arm she was holding on to. "Cristian, why don't you take her back to her seat?"

"NO! I am NOT going to go sit down!" Evangeline refused flatly. "I am going to have my say."

Cristian and John exchanged a Look, as Cristian sighed, shrugging his shoulders in defeat. "All right, Evangeline," he acquiesced. "Go ahead."

"Hugh?" asked Evangeline, scanning the room with her head, like she was trying to figure out his location from the direction of the reply. "Hugh? Where is D.A. Hughes?"

Walking over towards Evangeline, Hugh puts his hand on Evangeline's left shoulder to indicate his presence. "I'm right here, Evangeline. I'm standing next to you, on your left side. "

"Well, what do you have to say for yourself, now, D.A. Hughes?" Evangeline demanded acidly, putting the emphasis on the title, D.A. "Todd was telling the truth! He didn't murder Margaret Cochran or his child. They're not even dead – but Todd is! Congratulations, Mr. Hughes, you just MURDERED an innocent man! How do you feel? What do you have to say for yourself now?"

Evangeline glanced around the room, as if she could see the various people assembled there - Bo, Hugh, Ellen Foley, Viki, Blair, John, Margaret Cochran, Cristian, Warden Lafferty, Spencer Truman, and select members of the press before shouting again.

"Thanks to you – all of you, Todd is DEAD. You killed him, and now there are 2 poor kids out there who are going to have to grow up without their dad! Todd was innocent, just like he claimed all along, and you just MURDERED him! This wasn't an execution, it was a MURDER! You're the killers! ALL OF YOU are the murderers now!"

Everyone in the room stared at Evangeline in stunned and shocked silence as she continued her tirade. "Spencer?" she asked loudly. "Where is Dr. Spencer Truman? All along Todd said that he did not murder anyone. We know, now, too late, that he was telling the truth, and that he really was innocent. Todd said that you set him up for murder, so you could move in on Blair. Now, that Margaret Cochran is here, in the flesh, alive and well, I am going to get Todd's name cleared, and then I'm going to prove that you engineered this whole thing – that you framed Todd for the "murders" of Margaret, and her baby to put him on death row and get him out of the way to be with Blair. I am NOT going to rest until I see YOU strapped down to that gurney. I swear that I will fight as long as it takes until I get justice for Todd!"

To Be Continued………………………………………………………….


	2. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: Usual disclaimers apply. I don't own the "One Life to Live" characters, I'm not making any money off this fanfic, yadda, yadda, yadda. See Chapter 1 for more info.

Please read and review. Be kind, yet please give me honest feedback. If you have a negative comment, it is okay to post it, but also include some practical suggestions on how I could make the story better. I love to write stories and poems and I want to be a good writer so I don't mind any negative comments as long as they are not flames. Positive and/or helpful advice and pointers are appreciated and welcomed. Negative, AND unconstructive feedback is not, and will be deleted. Otherwise, feel free to write what you think, with the exception of flames. Thank you!

Also, if you would like to be notified whenever I update a story, or post any new stories to this site, and you are a registered member of (Registration & membership is free) you can add me to your Author Alert list, and will then receive an email notification every time a new story is posted or a current story is updated by me, or any other author on your Alert list.

To participate, all that is needed is, once you have logged onto the site, click on the Author Alert link, and enter the ID# of the Author(s) you want to add to your Alert list (Enter only 1 ID at a time) Then, click on the "Add Author" button, and you're all done! If you are interested in adding me to your Author Alert list, the following is my ID#44374.

Recap: Todd has been executed, and was pronounced dead. Several minutes later, John McBain came into the Observation Room with Margaret Cochran. Upon seeing her in person, everyone realized that Todd really was innocent, and that he had been wrongly executed. At the end of the last chapter, Evangeline ranted at Hugh and everyone else watching that Todd had been killed for a crime that never even happened. She vowed to prove that Spencer Truman was the one behind the frame-up, clear Todd's name and finally get him justice.

Rating: PG - PG-13 in first few chapters, then may or may not increase to R rating, depending on author's whims:)

Contact: Any extra comments (beyond the review) questions, or concerns, Email me at: benbrattlover at yahoo dot com

Enjoy and after you're done, please hit the pretty, and sexy, little purple button at the bottom of the page, and leave me a review. Thank you!

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Everyone in the Observation Room at Lehigh Prison stood, watching in stunned silence, as Evangeline continued her diatribe against those she held responsible for the wrongful execution of Todd Manning. Namely, D.A. Hugh Hughes, and Dr. Spencer Truman. As she ranted and raved, Evangeline started to become overwhelmed with her own feelings of guilt, and regret.

'Why hadn't she done more, before it was too late?' she thought to herself reproachfully. 'Why didn't she persuade Todd to appeal right away after he had been convicted? Why hadn't she tried harder to convince Hugh, or Gov. Brooks to exhume the bodies that were found in Llantano Lake? Why didn't she do something more, earlier, anything?'

When Evangeline's outburst was finally over, and she had started to quiet down, with silent tears rolling down her face, Bo Buchanan was the first one to speak. Making a quick decision, he reached behind him, and pulled something off from the back of his belt, before he strode resolutely over to Margaret. In one swift motion, he had grabbed both her wrists, and snapped the handcuffs tightly around them, as Margaret winced at the grip.

"Margaret Cochran, you are under arrest for the murders of Todd Manning and Mona Bigelow, the stalking, kidnapping, assault and attempted murder of Blair Cramer Manning, the stalking, assault and attempted murder of Starr Manning, as well as any other charges that John, Hugh and I can come up with." Bo stated firmly as he began reading Margaret her rights. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, the court can appoint one to you before any questioning. Do you understand your rights as I have read them to you?"

Margaret just stared at Bo, bewildered, and did not answer.

"Ms. Cochran, I asked you a question. Do you understand your rights as I have read them to you?"

Margaret continued to look baffled, as she glanced around the room at all the people looking at her in disbelief or in anger and fury.

"I don't understand what's going on here! I don't know any Todd Manning, or this Mona Bigelow, or anyone else you said." I don't even know what I'm doing here! I was just living my life in Bangkok, when this man here," Margaret said, pointing to John, "came and grabbed me. He kidnapped me and dragged me on a plane and brought me here, but I don't know why! I just want to go back to my life in Thailand!"

As Bo and several others scoffed in disgust, Blair rushed over and slapped Margaret HARD across the face. Shocked and reeling from the blow, Margaret's hand immediately flew up to her burning cheek as Blair burst out at her.

"YOUR LIFE?" shouted Blair livid. "Your life? You don't deserve a life, you evil bitch! You deserve to spend the rest of your life behind bars! My husband is dead all because of you! I wish you were dead too! I want you to suffer ever second, every minute until your dying moment. If it weren't for you, Todd would still be alive. My kids are going to have to grow up and live the rest of their lives without their father, and it's all because of you. So you can play this amnesia game all you want to, but we all know the whole truth about you. You are a psycho, evil witch, and I hope you burn in HELL forever!"

Margaret looked at Blair, taken aback. "I don't understand!" she mumbled, dazed and confused. "Why are you saying these things to me? What did I ever do to you? I don't know what's going on! I just want to go back to my home in Bangkok!"

"Get her the hell out of my sight!" said Blair, to Bo and John, as she glared at Margaret, snorting with fury. "I mean it Bo, if I see her ugly, psycho face for one more second, I swear I am going to strangle her fake amnesiac self to death!"

Bo nodded in understanding. "All right," he said, taking Margaret by one arm, with John taking the other, and Hugh behind them. With a sad glance through the Observation Room window, Bo and John led Margaret out of the room, followed by Hugh.

After they were gone, Blair ran back over to the window, clutching at the glass.

"Todd, I am so sorry!" cried Blair, tears gushing from her eyes, and streaming down her cheeks. "I am SO sorry! You were right! You were innocent. You didn't kill that evil bitch Margaret or your child. I should have known that you could never kill your own child. I am SO sorry that I didn't believe you! If only I'd just realized this sooner! Oh, God, I'll do anything to make this right, please! I am so sorry, I'm just SO sorry!"

Soon after, everyone else started filing out, leaving the deceased Todd still strapped down to the gurney on which he was executed, awaiting transportation to the Llantano County Coroner's Office.

Starr waited anxiously, at the prison entrance with Adriana, Rex, and Dorian, along with the numerous protesters on both sides of the death penalty issue, when Blair, Viki, and everyone else started coming out.

Blair immediately ran over to her daughter. "Starr, what are you doing here? I thought I told you to go home with Jack! Why are you still here?" she demanded, her eyes filled with tears as she turned to her aunt. "Dorian, how did she get here?"

Adriana spoke up. "It's our fault!" she confessed. "Starr really wanted to be here. She even threatened to take a cab, if we didn't drive her. So we brought her."

"Starr!"

"I wanted to be here, with Dad. I wanted to go inside, but they wouldn't let me! But they let Spencer go in!" said Starr bitterly. "They wouldn't let me in, and I'm his daughter. But they let Dr. Truman in, Dr. Truman who…………."

Starr is interrupted by the wave of loud gasps and shrieks of the protesters, and bystanders as another group of four people exit the prison. She turns to look at what everyone is gawking at, and she can't believe what she is seeing. She blinks a couple times in disbelief, before turning back to her mother.

Starr narrowed her eyes at Margaret, being led out of the prison, in handcuffs, by John and Bo, with Hugh following behind. "What the hell is she doing here?"

"Starr!" admonished Blair. "Watch your mouth!"

"Margaret's ALIVE? She's not DEAD? MARGARET COCHRAN IS ALIVE?"

To Be Continued……………………………………………………………………


	3. Chapter 3

Author's Notes: Usual disclaimers apply. I don't own the "One Life to Live" characters, I'm not making any money off this fanfic, yadda, yadda, yadda. See Chapter 1 for more info.

Please read and review. Be kind, yet please give me honest feedback. If you have a negative comment, it is okay to post it, but also include some practical suggestions on how I could make the story better. I love to write stories and poems and I want to be a good writer so I don't mind any negative comments as long as they are not flames. Positive and/or helpful advice and pointers are appreciated and welcomed. Negative, AND unconstructive feedback is not, and will be deleted. Otherwise, feel free to write what you think, with the exception of flames. Thank you!

Also, if you would like to be notified whenever I update a story, or post any new stories to this site, and you are a registered member of (Registration & membership is free) you can add me to your Author Alert list, and will then receive an email notification every time a new story is posted or a current story is updated by me, or any other author on your Alert list.

To participate, all that is needed is, once you have logged onto the site, click on the Author Alert link, and enter the ID# of the Author(s) you want to add to your Alert list (Enter only 1 ID at a time) Then, click on the "Add Author" button, and you're all done! If you are interested in adding me to your Author Alert list, the following is my ID#44374.

Recap: Todd was executed by lethal injection at Lehigh Prison, for the "murders" of Margaret Cochran and their unborn son. Several minutes after Todd had been pronounced dead, John McBain arrived with a very much alive Margaret Cochran in tow. That's when everyone realized that Todd was innocent and had been wrongly executed. After this startling discovery, Evangeline ranted at Hugh and Spencer, vowing to prove that Spencer engineered the plot, and clear Todd's name posthumously, and finally get him some justice. After Evangeline's tirade, Bo Buchanan arrested Margaret for the murders of Todd Manning, and Mona Bigelow, and for all her crimes against Blair and Starr. Margaret continued her fake amnesia act, but Blair wasn't buying it, and she slapped Margaret HARD across the face and raged at her for everything she had done. At the end of the last chapter, everyone was coming out of the prison, and Starr has just seen Margaret Cochran alive, and being escorted out, in handcuffs, by Bo, John and Hugh.

Rating: PG - PG-13 in first few chapters, then may or may not increase to R rating, depending on author's whims:)

Contact: Any extra comments (beyond the review) questions, or concerns, Email me at: benbrattlover at yahoo dot com

Enjoy and after you're done, please hit the pretty, and sexy, little purple button at the bottom of the page, and leave me a review. Thank you!

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Starr looked again at the handcuffed woman. "I don't believe this!" she muttered under her breath, before turning back to her mother incredulously. "So Margaret Cochran is really alive?"

Blair's eyes filled with tears. "Yes, Starr, she is," she murmured. "John McBain found her living in Bangkok, Thailand."

"I told you!" shouted Starr enraged. "I TOLD you Dad was innocent. He couldn't kill them! I TOLD you that Dad's not a murderer! I TOLD everyone! No one would listen to me! I knew that Dad couldn't have done it! I knew that he was innocent! I TOLD you!"

Blair sighed heavily. As it is, this was SO hard, and it was only going to get worse. "I know, Starr. I know," she nodded. "You were right. Your Dad couldn't have murdered his own child. I am so sorry! I should have listened to you and believed you when you tried to tell me the truth. Even Evangeline and your Aunt Viki tried and I wouldn't listen. You were right. Todd was innocent all along. I'm so sorry!"

"Yeah, right!" Starr scoffed contemptuously. "Tell it to your lover, Spencer Truman!"

"Starr!" admonished Blair. "Spencer is NOT my lover!"

Starr shrugged. "Whatever!" she answered scornfully. "Lover, boyfriend, 'special friend', sex partner, it doesn't matter what you call it. Tell it to someone who believes you!"

Blair shook her head in defeat. Suddenly, Starr's eyes became bright again.

"So now everyone's seen Margaret, and they know the truth, don't they?" Starr exclaimed eagerly. "They know Dad is innocent, that he could never kill his own child. So now he won't be executed, will he? Everyone knows Margaret is still alive, so they're going to have to let him go now, right?"

"Starr, I'm so sorry!" Blair looked pained, sighing heavily as she answered her young daughter. "We didn't find out about Margaret, until it was too late and Todd had already been executed. By the time we learned the truth, your father was already gone. I am so sorry! Your dad is dead, Starr! I am so, SO very sorry!"

Starr's eyes narrowed, as she comprehended what her mother was saying, at the very same moment she saw the much alive Margaret Cochran being escorted to a waiting police squad car, by Bo, John, and Hugh. "WHAT?" she screeched loudly. "Do you mean to tell me that Dad is dead, and that evil, psycho, twisted bitch Margaret is still alive?"

Blair just nodded sadly, not saying a word.

"NO!" screamed Starr, nearly at the top of her lungs as she lunged violently at Margaret, and jumped on her, slapping her violently. "You sick, twisted, evil bitch! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! My dad is dead, all because of you! Are you happy now, now that you have destroyed my family, and ruined my life? Why couldn't you have just died instead? I HATE YOU!"

"Starr, NO!" Blair cried out, as she reached out for her daughter, trying to pull her back. But Starr was too far away, and she had already tackled Margaret, punching her, scratching her face, and trying to poke her eyes out.

Margaret just looked at Starr, with the same confused and bewildered expression on her face that she had displaying since she had been discovered in Thailand, first by David Vickers, and then by John McBain and Natalie Buchanan.

"I – I – I don't understand why you're all doing this!" stammers Margaret looking around at all the protesters and bright lights of the press. "What did I ever do to you? Why are you all doing this to me? I just want to go back to my life in Bangkok!"

Starr stared at Margaret incredulously. "Your life in Bangkok?" she repeated, her face becoming mottled purple with rage. "Your life in Bangkok? My dad has NO life anymore, thanks to YOU! My brother and I will never get to see our dad again, all because of YOU, you psycho nasty bitch!" Starr immediately started attacking Margaret anew, slapping and punching her repeatedly in the face, head, chest and arms, scratching her, and clawing her eyes out.

After about a minute or so, Bo, John and Hugh finally intervene. "All right, Starr. All right," said Bo softly, in a comforting tone, trying to persuade Starr to let go of Margaret. "That's enough. You can get off Margaret now. We'll take it from here. I promise you, Margaret will pay for everything that she has done to you, your mom, dad and everyone………………………"

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Starr shrieked, continuing to assault Margaret violently. She was so pumped up with anger, fury and rage, that ultimately, it took four people, Bo, John, Hugh, and Blair, to pull the struggling Starr off of Margaret. Even after they pulled her off she was still thrashing around, trying to get away and leap onto Margaret.

"Starr, NO!" warned Blair somewhat reluctantly, as she too had the urge to attack Margaret as her daughter had done. "That's not the answer. Your dad is gone. That's not going to bring him back!"

Starr glared at Blair, her eyes full of fury and venom. "I HATE YOU! YOU'RE NO LONGER MY MOM!" she screamed in her face before turning on her heel and running off. "I HATE YOU!"

Blair was about to run after her distraught daughter, when she was stopped by a comforting hand on her shoulder. She looked up, with tear-filled eyes, into the face of Lieutenant John McBain.

"Give her a few minutes alone, then let me talk to her," murmured John. "I know exactly what she is going through. Let me talk to Starr."

Blair nodded, brushing the tears from her eyes. "Thanks, John. For everything."

"Please don't thank me." John replied ruefully. "I'm just so sorry that we, I didn't find Margaret before this, and get her back here before it was too late. If only we, I could have found Margaret, and brought her back to Llanview while Todd was still alive. I don't think I'm ever going to forgive myself for not investigating further when Todd told me repeatedly that he'd been framed. I don't think Bo, Hugh, or any of us for that matter, ever will either. We'll never forgive ourselves for Todd being executed for a crime that never happened."

Blair shook her head. "No. It's not your fault. Or Bo's or Hugh's. It's all Margaret's fault," she stated, before adding, under her breath, "and Spencer's too!"

John's ears pricked up at the mention of Spencer. "You mean you think Spencer is involved too?"

"I don't know!" admitted Blair. "I don't know what to think or believe anymore! All this time, I thought Todd was guilty. I thought he had murdered Margaret and his own child. Even though he told me repeatedly that he was innocent and had been set up by Spencer Truman, I didn't believe him. I even testified against him in court. Then after he was executed, you brought Margaret in, and saw that Todd had been telling the truth and that he was innocent. So if he was telling the truth about not killing Margaret and his child, was he also telling the truth about Spencer having framed him?"

"Maybe." John shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know. I just know that there are too many things that don't match up. Too many coincidences, and too many things that lead right back to Dr. Spencer Truman."

Blair sighed heavily. "So what's going to happen now?"

"We're going to conduct a full investigation," answered John. "We're going to interview Margaret and find out where her baby is, and how she ended up living in Thailand without her child. I know that David Vickers shot and killed my father. Spencer is David's brother, and he was Paige's husband. Paige Miller who let my father die in the hospital because she was drunk on the job. Spencer covered that up, and covered for David also. I'm going to find out about my dad's murder, and how it ties in with Todd being set up for Margaret and their child's murders. I'm going to find out who engineered this plot to frame Todd, and why. Whether it was Spencer or not, I am going to find out. Then, I am going to see them prosecuted and either put away for the rest of their lives, or sent to death row."

"Thank you so much." Blair nodded in gratitude. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

John shook his head. "Please don't thank me!" he mumbled, putting up his hand, as if to ward off any praise. "I didn't do anything. It was only pure luck and coincidence that I ran into Margaret in Bangkok. I should have investigated further, but I didn't. If I hadn't been in Bangkok, trying to track down David Vickers for my dad's murder, I never would have known about Margaret, and we never would have known Todd was innocent. If I had just done this kind of investigation sooner, Todd would still be alive, and Starr and Jack would have their dad with them."

Blair looked away for a moment, brushing the tears from her eyes, as John paused before speaking again.

"Speaking of which, I'm going to go talk to Starr now." John announced before walking away to find Todd and Blair's young daughter.

To Be Continued…………………………………………………………………………………………..


	4. Chapter 4

Author's Notes: Usual disclaimers apply. I don't own the "One Life to Live" characters, I'm not making any money off this fanfic, yadda, yadda, yadda. See Chapter 1 for more info.

Please read and review. Be kind, yet please give me honest feedback. If you have a negative comment, it is okay to post it, but also include some practical suggestions on how I could make the story better. I love to write stories and poems and I want to be a good writer so I don't mind any negative comments as long as they are not flames. Positive and/or helpful advice and pointers are appreciated and welcomed. Negative, AND unconstructive feedback is not, and will be deleted. Otherwise, feel free to write what you think, with the exception of flames. Thank you!

Also, if you would like to be notified whenever I update a story, or post any new stories to this site, and you are a registered member of (Registration & membership is free) you can add me to your Author Alert list, and will then receive an email notification every time a new story is posted or a current story is updated by me, or any other author on your Alert list.

To participate, all that is needed is, once you have logged onto the site, click on the Author Alert link, and enter the ID# of the Author(s) you want to add to your Alert list (Enter only 1 ID at a time) Then, click on the "Add Author" button, and you're all done! If you are interested in adding me to your Author Alert list, the following is my ID#44374.

Recap: Todd was executed by lethal injection at Lehigh Prison, for the "murders" of Margaret Cochran and their unborn son. After his death, John McBain showed up with a very alive Margaret in tow & everyone discovered that Todd was innocent and had been wrongly executed. Evangeline ranted at Hugh and Spencer, vowing to prove Spencer engineered the frame-up, clear Todd's name posthumously, and finally get him some justice. Then Bo arrested Margaret for the murders of Todd Manning and Mona Bigelow, and for all her crimes against Blair and Starr. Margaret continued her fake amnesia act, but Blair didn't buy it and slapped Margaret HARD across the face. When they all came out of the prison, Starr saw Margaret Cochran alive and being escorted out, in handcuffs by Bo, John and Hugh. At first she was excited, thinking that her dad would not be executed and would be let out of prison. Blair had to tell her that, sadly, they had not learned the truth about Margaret until it was too late and Todd was already gone. When Starr found out that her dad was dead and Margaret Cochran was still alive, understandably she went into a rage. She jumped on Margaret Cochran and started attacking her violently, and it took four people, Bo, John, Hugh, and Blair to pull Starr off of Margaret. Starr was furious and told Blair that she hated her and that she was no longer her mother, before running off. Being that he knew what Starr was going through, having lost his own father around the same age, John offered to talk to her, which Blair gratefully and tearfully accepted. At the end of the last chapter, John declined Blair's thanks and appreciation, instead blaming himself for Todd's wrongful execution, before going off to find Starr.

Rating: PG - PG-13 in first few chapters, then may or may not increase to R rating, depending on author's whims:)

Contact: Any extra comments (beyond the review) questions, or concerns, Email me at: benbrattlover at yahoo dot com

Enjoy and after you're done, please hit the pretty, and sexy, little purple button at the bottom of the page, and leave me a review. Thank you!

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While Commissioner Bo Buchanan, and District Attorney Hugh Hughes put the bruised and battered Margaret Cochran, still handcuffed, into the waiting Llanview Police squad car, Lt. John McBain worked through the HUGE crowd of protesters, and the press, looking for Starr Manning. Immediately, a swarm of eager, young news reporters surrounded John, each one pressuring him, demanding their own special update, or exclusive interview for their network.

"No comment!" growled John, brushing aside the persistent and determined reporters, and pushing his way through the throng of people in his search of Starr. He looked high and low, and he could not find her. Finally, he spotted Starr in a back area of the prison yard. Somehow, she had managed to scale a tall, nearly 8 foot metal chain-link fence, topped by sharp and glinting barbed wire, and even from his distance, John could she that she had been badly hurt. Her clothes had long rips in it, and her hands were raw and bleeding. Deciding against climbing the fence like Starr, John looked around, trying to find another way in, and noticed a locked gate a little farther down the fence. So he doubled back, walking in the direction that he'd come, to find someone with the gate keys, when he saw a prison guard out on patrol. Immediately flashing his badge at him, John ordered the guard to unlock the gate and let him through. The guard, a young rookie, just starting out, and new to the job, immediately complied, without asking any questions. He unlocked the gate, telling John that he would be back in about five to ten minutes after he'd completed his rounds to let him and the girl on the other side out. John nodded, and walked through the gate, as it was tightly shut and locked behind him. John walked towards Starr, very cautiously, practically on his tiptoes, so as to not suddenly startle her, and send her running again.

Starr was leaning against a wall of the prison, sobbing hysterically, totally oblivious to the growing pool of blood on her hands. John came up very quietly, and stood next to Starr, looking at her sympathetically for several minutes. Starr was so upset, that she did not even notice his presence until he put his hand very gently on her shoulder, as comfort. Starr looked up, and then, seeing who it was, glared at John sourly.

"What do YOU want NOW?" she spat out, roughly brushing away the tears from her eyes and cheeks, with the back of her bloody hand.

John sighed heavily. This was going to be a lot harder than he had previously thought.

"Look, Starr, you have every reason in the world to be mad. I don't blame you for hating Bo, Hugh, Margaret, Spencer, your mom and me. I probably would and did the same at your age. Your dad is dead! You have every right to be furious," murmured John softly. "But honestly, I'm just here to help."

Starr snorted in contempt. "I think that you've helped enough, **Lieutenant** McBain. I don't know where we'd be without all your help!" she snapped sarcastically, putting emphasis on the title, Lieutenant, as John winced visibly. "My dad is dead, because of all of you. He was innocent, and now he is dead. My dad is dead, and that evil bitch Margaret is still alive and walking around. You guys let that happen. She should have been in prison ages ago. If you all had just done your job, Margaret would have been in prison, and my dad would still be alive. Now, you try to come and say you want to help me? I think you've helped enough. I don't need your help! I don't need anyone ever again!"

"Listen, Starr," John began slowly. "I know that there's nothing that I can say or do to change what's happened. But I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything you have gone through and are going through. There's nothing I can do to make up for what you've lost, but I know exactly how you feel, and I'd really like the chance to be your friend. I know exactly what you're going through."

"Oh yeah?" challenged Starr angrily. "Have you had to hear people keep insulting your father, and talking bad about him? Did you have to see people write 'Baby-Killer' in graffiti where everyone can see it? How the hell would you possibly know how I feel?"

"Because, I, too, lost my dad when I was around your age."

Starr's head immediately shot up, ears pricked. "What? How?"

Meanwhile, back at the front of the prison, after Margaret had been put in the back of the Llanview police squad car, and Bo Buchanan had gotten in the front passenger seat, they left for the station, with Hugh following in the squad car behind.

Once Margaret had been safely taken away, the prison warden appeared to make a statement to the press and the public. Carrying a large bullhorn, he stepped onto a raised platform near the front doors, and prepared to speak.

"Quiet, please!" the warden said into his bullhorn, pausing for a few seconds until everyone had quieted down. "Ladies and Gentlemen, I am Mark Lafferty, the Warden of Lehigh Prison, and I have a statement to make, and then I will take questions."

Warden Lafferty cleared his throat before continuing. "At 9:00 P.M., inmate Todd Manning was administered a lethal injection, as was ordered by the people of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was pronounced dead at 9:14 PM. Prior to his death, Mr. Manning did make a detailed final statement insisting on his innocence in the deaths of Margaret Cochran and their unborn child. After he said his last words, Mr. Manning just went to sleep peacefully, and he was declared dead at 9:14 PM. Approximately 5 minutes after Mr. Manning was pronounced dead, Lieutenant John McBain of the Llanview Police Department, entered the Execution Observation Room, with an alive Margaret Cochran, the alleged victim, who has been living and hiding out in Bangkok, Thailand, since her disappearance. The location of her infant child is unknown at this time."

A wave of gasps rumbled across the prison courtyard as the protesters, news reporters, and the public bystanders, quickly comprehended the gravity of the warden's words. As several people in the crowd began chattering animatedly, loud shouts erupted between the two, distinct groups of protesters – those against capital punishment and those who supported it.

"You see what you've done?" the anti-death penalty protesters screamed. "You've just MURDERED an INNOCENT man!"

"Aw, he wasn't all that innocent!" shot back a man on the pro-death penalty side. "Todd Manning was a liar, and a rapist. He was a criminal. I say, good riddance! Todd Manning is better off dead!"

"How can you say something like that?" retorted a short brunette woman, standing in the anti-capital punishment group. "Todd Manning was INNOCENT. It does not matter what his past crimes are or were. He DID NOT kill that woman, Margaret Cochran or his child. He has a family, and two young children, and he was put to death WRONGLY! Todd Manning was just MURDERED by the State!"

"Who cares about his children?" another man shouted. "We did them a favor! Todd Manning was a career criminal, and his kids are better off without him. Besides, if they're really his kids, then they are spawns of the Devil, and they're better off dead! We should probably get rid of them, before they turn into criminals like their father!"

The crowd exploded, as everyone – especially those against the death penalty heard that man's statement. They started shouting, and pushing, shoving, and fighting their opponents across the police barricades.

Standing off to the side, with Dorian, Adriana, Rex, Cristian, Evangeline, and Viki, Blair watched in shock as the two groups of protesters argued about Todd. She stood there, silent and tortured inside, knowing that she had no right to speak up, proclaiming herself a victim, especially after how she herself turned on Todd, and testified against him in open court. But the moment she heard that man say that her kids were "Spawns of the Devil", and that "they're better off dead!" Blair became livid and turned on the crowd.

Before anyone could stop her, Blair strode over to the warden, and grabbed the megaphone from his hand, and yelled into it so loud, that she nearly deafened everyone listening.

"HOW DARE YOU?" screamed Blair furiously. "HOW DARE YOU? Do you people have any compassion? Do you have any kind of a heart? How can you stand there and say that you did my kids a favor? Have any of you lost your parents – especially when you were still children? Do you know what its like not to have one or both of your parents when you were growing up? Todd was a GOOD father. Yes, he made mistakes and committed crimes in the past. But he paid for them and tried to change. His kids still love him, and they are going through HELL right now! Do you have any idea of the kind of suffering my kids will be going through, having to grow up and live the rest of their lives without their dad? HOW DARE YOU say that Todd is better off dead, and my kids are better off without him? Todd was INNOCENT! He did NOT kill Margaret Cochran or their child."

"No, but he did lots of other horrible things!" a tall, blonde woman in the pro-capital punishment group shouted. "He gang-raped Marty Saybrooke, and he tried to cut out the heart of his niece Natalie Buchanan as part of an agreement with his evil, and sick, twisted father, Victor Lord! Like father, like son. At this rate, your kids are better off dead too! We should get rid of them now, before they grow up into their father and grandfather!"

Blair's face became purple, mottled with rage as she started yelling at the crowd.

To Be Continued………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….


	5. Chapter 5

Author's Notes: Usual disclaimers apply. I don't own the "One Life to Live" characters, I'm not making any money off this fanfic, yadda, yadda, yadda. See Chapter 1 for more info.

Please read and review. Be kind, yet please give me honest feedback. If you have a negative comment, it is okay to post it, but also include some practical suggestions on how I could make the story better. I love to write stories and poems and I want to be a good writer so I don't mind any negative comments as long as they are not flames. Positive and/or helpful advice and pointers are appreciated and welcomed. Negative, AND unconstructive feedback is not, and will be deleted. Otherwise, feel free to write what you think, with the exception of flames. Thank you!

Also, if you would like to be notified whenever I update a story, or post any new stories to this site, and you are a registered member of (Registration & membership is free) you can add me to your Author Alert list, and will then receive an email notification every time a new story is posted or a current story is updated by me, or any other author on your Alert list.

To participate, all that is needed is, once you have logged onto the site, click on the Author Alert link, and enter the ID# of the Author(s) you want to add to your Alert list (Enter only 1 ID at a time) Then, click on the "Add Author" button, and you're all done! If you are interested in adding me to your Author Alert list, the following is my ID#44374.

Recap: Todd was executed by lethal injection at Lehigh Prison for the "murders" of Margaret Cochran and their unborn son. After his death, John McBain showed up with a very alive Margaret in tow & everyone discovered that Todd was innocent and had been wrongly executed. Evangeline ranted at Hugh and Spencer vowing to prove that Spencer was responsible. Then, Bo arrested Margaret for all her crimes, and though she continued her fake amnesia act, no one believed her, least of all Blair, who slapped her HARD across the face. As they were leaving the prison, Starr saw Margaret Cochran alive, and being escorted out, in handcuffs by Bo, John and Hugh. Before Blair could tell her daughter about the tragic error, Starr assumed that her father had been cleared and would be released.

After Starr found out the truth that her father was dead, and Margaret Cochran was still alive, she was DEVASTATED, and understandably, she flew into a rage. She jumped on Margaret Cochran, attacking her violently, until it took four people – Bo, John, Hugh, and Blair to pull her off. Starr was still furious and told Blair she hated her and that she was no longer her mother, and then she ran off. John McBain, knowing what Starr was going through (having lost his own father around the same age) offered to talk to her. Blair gratefully and tearfully accepted. John went off to search for Starr, and found her on the other side of the prison complex. She was leaning against the building's exterior wall crying with torn clothing and bloody hands from having climbed a tall, barbed wire fence. John talked to Starr, trying to comfort her, but she was too upset and angry to respond with anything but hostility.

Meanwhile, back at the prison entrance, after John left to talk to Starr, the warden of Lehigh Prison, Mark Lafferty came out to make a statement to the press and the general public. When everyone heard the announcement that Todd Manning had been wrongly executed for the "murder" of Margaret Cochran, who was still alive, and their unborn son, whose location was unknown, the crowd broke out into a near riot. The two groups of protesters, those who were pro-death penalty, and those who were anti-death penalty began arguing and fighting, pushing and shoving each other. They were yelling and shouting their opinions – whether they thought Todd deserved to die for his other crimes, or whether they thought an innocent man had been wrongly executed.

At first, when Blair heard a few of the protesters praising the wrongful execution, she stayed silent, thinking she had no right to respond – after having testified against Todd in court. But when she heard shouts that Todd was better off dead, she grabbed the warden's megaphone, and berated the crowd for their harsh and cruel words. Then, when a couple of insensitive people claimed that Starr and Jack were "spawns of the Devil" who should be taken care of "before they grew up into their father", Blair became furious. At the end of the last chapter, Blair's face was purple with rage as she was about to respond to the crowd.

Rating: PG - PG-13 in first few chapters, then may or may not increase to R rating, depending on author's whims:)

Contact: Any extra comments (beyond the review) questions, or concerns, Email me at: benbrattlover at yahoo dot com

Also, just an important note to my readers. I know that there were/are many of you, who didn't like the scenes in the previous chapter where some of the pro-death penalty protesters made cruel and insensitive comments.. I just wanted to say that I did that in a context for a specific reason, which you will soon see. I needed to get Blair REALLY riled up and emotional for a purpose that will play a major role in the main storyline. So just stay tuned!

Enjoy and after you're done, please hit the pretty, and sexy, little purple button at the bottom of the page, and leave me a review. Thank you!

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As Blair was busy at the prison entrance, dealing with a few cruel and insensitive protesters, in the back of the prison, John had his hands full, trying to comfort an enraged and grief-stricken Starr Manning.

"Listen, Starr," John began slowly. "I know that there's nothing that I can say or do to change what's happened. But I can't tell you how sorry I am for everything you have gone through and are going through. There's nothing I can do to make up for what you've lost, but I know exactly how you feel, and I'd really like the chance to be your friend. I know exactly what you're going through."

"Oh yeah?" challenged Starr angrily. "Have you had to hear people keep insulting your father, and talking bad about him? Did you have to see people write 'Baby-Killer' in graffiti where everyone can see it? How the hell would you possibly know how I feel?"

"Because, I, too, lost my dad when I was around your age."

Starr's head immediately shot up, ears pricked. "What? How?"

John took a deep breath before speaking. "He was shot," he answered. "My dad was a cop in Atlantic City and he got shot in the line of duty."

"I'm sorry," mumbled Starr. "Did they ever catch the guy who did it?"

John paused for a few seconds, his mind wandering as he thought of David Vickers. "Not yet!" he told Starr, knowing that David had not yet been tried or convicted. "I will though."

Is that why you became a cop too?"

"Partly," John admitted softly. "I also wanted to help others, and keep them from going through what Michael and I went through."

Starr nodded. "I'm sorry for yelling," she murmured, in a voice barely above a whisper. "I didn't really mean what I said.."

"It's okay," answered John, waving his hand dismissively. "You were just upset. I understand. You have every right to be mad."

"Yeah, but you weren't responsible for this." Starr said bitterly, her eyes full of pain and anger. "All of this happened because of Spencer Truman and Margaret Cochran. None of this was your fault."

John took a deep breath before responding. "It wasn't your mom's fault either," he remarked. "You know, Starr, I can understand you being angry at everyone. But your mom loves you. She loves you and Jack more than you can imagine, and I know that she never wanted any of this to happen either."

"So, why didn't she stick up for him then?" challenged Starr, starting to become angry again. "Why didn't she believe Dad when he said that he was innocent? Why didn't she tell the court that he could never have done this – that he could have never have killed his own child? Why didn't she defend him, huh?"

"I don't know, Starr." John sighed heavily. "I just don't know. Maybe she just got conned like the rest of us did. There was just too much evidence against Todd, and we all got tricked into believing that he was guilty. I can't tell you how sorry I am for that. But it's not your mom's fault. We all got fooled, by whoever' was trying to frame your dad and sadly, you and Jack, are the ones paying the heaviest price. Your mom is not to blame, though. She loves you and Jack, and I'm sure that, if it were possible to go back in time, she would change everything that happened, in a heartbeat."

"Whatever!"

John sighed again. "_Boy, that Starr is a really tough cookie!_" he thought to himself, before speaking.. "Look, Starr, you have every right to be angry at your mom, at me, at all of us. But you need to realize that your mom is also hurt and angry. I mean, she loves you and Jack, and on top of the grief from losing your dad, and all the guilt from not believing in him………………………………."

John paused for a few seconds, letting his words sink in. When he looked up, he saw the prison guard approaching the fence. With an imperceptible shake of his head, he silently mouthed the words "a couple more minutes" to the guard, who nodded, resuming his rounds. John waited until he was gone, before speaking again.

"You should try to cut your mom some slack, Starr," he remarked. "She needs the support of her family and friends right now to get through this. Your mom is really suffering too. "

Starr did not answer, staring down at her fingernails as John continued. "Why don't we go back now so you can talk to your mom? Life is short, Starr. You never know what could happen in an instant. You just lost your dad in the worst possible way. I really think you should try to make peace with your mom."

Starr took a deep breath, sighing heavily. "Oh, all right!" she grumbled. "I'll go talk to my mom!"

"Good!" John cracked a small smile. "I'm really proud of you, Starr, and just remember, if you ever need a friend who understands what you're going through, I'm always here."

"Thanks!" Starr smiled weakly.

Meanwhile, at the prison entrance, a livid Blair was screaming at the crowd of protesters and media. Her face was mottled purple with fury as she held up the bullhorn and started yelling into it. "HOW DARE YOU!" she shouted. "What the HELL is WRONG with you people? Do you have any DECENCY AT ALL? My kids are INNOCENT VICTIMS, AS WAS TODD! Don't you get it? Todd was INNOCENT! Todd DID NOT kill ANYONE! HE WAS JUST **MURDERED** BY THE COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA!"

"You tell them!" shouts a bald man in the pro-death penalty group., as several others voice their opinions.

"The lady is right!" a redheaded woman yells. "Todd Manning was innocent! It doesn't matter what his past crimes were! He was innocent of the murders of Margaret Cochran and their child. He did NOT kill them. Todd Manning was MURDERED by the State!"

"Yeah, and how DARE you say that his kids should be killed too!" asked a tall blond woman. "It's bad enough that an innocent man was put to death for a crime that never even happened. But how can you say that his kids should die too? Do you have kids? I have four kids, and I can't imagine ANY sane and loving parent who would advocate the death of innocent children – no matter WHO their father is!"

"Yeah, the death penalty is one thing, but this….." a short brown hoired man said. "This is MURDER! Todd Manning was MURDERED!"

As Blair watched the exchange and arguments between the two groups of protesters, becoming more and more overwhelmed from all the stress and trauma of the past several days, weeks and months, she finally broke down. She burst into tears and became hysterical., crying and screaming "Todd!" at the top of her lungs. Dr. Spencer Truman, who was standing behind her, immediately put his hands on her shoulders, bringing her into his arms.

"It's going to be all right, Blair!" crooned Spencer, whispering in Blair's ear. "It's all over. Everything is going to be all right. I promise!"

Before Blair realized what was happening, or was able to object, Spencer had drawn her into a long, passionate kiss on the lips. Finally, she pulled away, and when she did, she turned and looked right into the glaring, venom-filled eyes of her daughter, Starr.

To Be Continued……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


	6. Chapter 6

Author's Notes: Usual disclaimers apply. I don't own the "One Life to Live" characters, I'm not making any money off this fanfic, yadda, yadda, yadda. See Chapter 1 for more info.

Please read and review. Be kind, yet please give me honest feedback. If you have a negative comment, it is okay to post it, but also include some practical suggestions on how I could make the story better. I love to write stories and poems and I want to be a good writer so I don't mind any negative comments as long as they are not flames. Positive and/or helpful advice and pointers are appreciated and welcomed. Negative, AND unconstructive feedback is not, and will be deleted. Otherwise, feel free to write what you think, with the exception of flames. Thank you!

Also, if you would like to be notified whenever I update a story, or post any new stories to this site, and you are a registered member of (Registration & membership is free) you can add me to your Author Alert list, and will then receive an email notification every time a new story is posted or a current story is updated by me, or any other author on your Alert list.

To participate, all that is needed is, once you have logged onto the site, click on the Author Alert link, and enter the ID# of the Author(s) you want to add to your Alert list (Enter only 1 ID at a time) Then, click on the "Add Author" button, and you're all done! If you are interested in adding me to your Author Alert list, the following is my ID#44374.

Recap: Todd was executed by lethal injection at Lehigh Prison for the "murders" of Margaret Cochran and their unborn son. After his death, when John McBain showed up with a very alive Margaret in tow, everyone discovered that Todd was innocent, and had been wrongly executed. Evangeline ranted at Hugh and Spencer, vowing to prove that Spencer was responsible. Afterwards, Bo arrested Margaret for her many crimes, ignoring her fake amnesia act, which no one bought, least of all, Blair, who slapped her HARD across the face. Upon their exit from the prison, Starr saw Margaret Cochran alive, and being escorted out, in handcuffs by Bo, John and Hugh. But before Blair could tell her about the tragic error, Starr had already assumed that Todd had been cleared, and jumped to the conclusion that he would be released.

Once Starr learned the truth, about her father's death, and Margaret being alive and hiding out in Thailand, she was DEVASTATED, and understandably, she flew into a rage. She jumped on Margaret Cochran, attacking her violently, until it took four people – Bo, John, Hugh, and Blair to pull her off. At that point, a still furious Starr told Blair that she hated her, and that she was no longer her mother, before running off. John McBain, knowing what Starr was going through (having lost his own father around the same age) offered to talk to her, which Blair tearfully, and gratefully accepted.

After searching for Starr, John found her on the other side of the prison complex, crying with torn clothing and bloody hands from having climbed a tall, barbed wire fence. John talked to Starr, and tried to comfort her, but at first, she was too upset and angry to respond with anything but hostility. It was only when John told her about losing his own father that Starr began to come around a little and open up.

While John was talking to Starr, back at the prison entrance, the Lehigh Prison Warden Mark Lafferty came out to make a statement to the press and the general public. After learning that Todd Manning had been wrongly executed for the "murder" of an alive Margaret Cochran, and their unborn son, whose location was unknown, the crowd broke out into a near riot. The pro-death penalty and anti-death penalty groups began arguing and fighting, pushing and shoving each other, as they yelled and shouted their opinions – whether they thought Todd deserved to die for his other crimes, or whether they thought an innocent man had been wrongly executed.

At first, when Blair heard a few of the protesters praising the wrongful execution, she stayed silent, thinking she had no right to respond – after having testified against Todd in court. But when she heard shouts that Todd was better off dead, she grabbed the warden's megaphone, and berated the crowd for their harsh and cruel words. Then, when a couple of insensitive people claimed that Starr and Jack were "spawns of the Devil" who should be taken care of "before they grew up into their father", Blair became furious and started hollering at the crowd.

Meanwhile, John finally had a breakthrough with Starr, who agreed to go back and talk to her mother and try to make peace. But, Blair after yelling at the crowd, finally broke down, and started crying and screaming Todd's name over and over. Spencer Truman, who was standing behind Blair, immediately took her into his arms, and before she knew what was happening or could object, Spencer had pulled her into a long, passionate kiss, which Starr walked in on.

At the end of the last chapter, Blair had just pulled away after kissing Spencer, and turned and looked right into the incensed, venom-filled eyes of her daughter, Starr.

Rating: PG - PG-13 in first few chapters, then may or may not increase to R rating, depending on author's whims:)

Contact: Any extra comments (beyond the review) questions, or concerns, Email me at: benbrattlover at yahoo dot com

Enjoy and after you're done, please hit the pretty, and sexy, little purple button at the bottom of the page, and leave me a review. Thank you!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"St- St – Starr!" stammered Blair nervously. "You came back!"

"Sooner than expected, obviously!" Starr replied, her voice dripping with sarcasm, hatred and disgust. "Or should I say, not soon enough!"

Hanging her head, Blair looked at her daughter ruefully. "Starr, please let me explain…………" she began before Starr cut her off mid-sentence, putting up her hand, as if to block herself from her mother's hollow, empty words and silence her excuses.

"Don't even bother!" spat out Starr contemptuously. "Oh My God, you are SUCH a fucking slut!"

"Starr! How dare you speak to me that way?? Apologize to me, this instant! I am your mother! You can't talk to me like that!"

Starr shook her head. "NO!" she yelled furiously. "NO! You are not my mother! Not anymore, and not ever again! I hate you! I HATE YOU! Do you get it now? I ABSOLUTELY HATE YOU! I detest you with every fiber of my being! Dad is dead all because of you, and I will never, ever forgive you as long as I live! I HATE YOU! If you hadn't been such a bitch, Dad would still be here! I ABSOLUTELY HATE YOU! You are no longer, and never again will be my mother. God, you are such a slut!"

"I am not!" Blair growled. "Don't you dare call me that! I don't care how angry or sad you are, you are not to speak to me like that, ever again! Am I making myself clear??"

Starr just glowered at her mother, ignoring her question. "You just couldn't wait, could you??" she snarled, her face suffused with rage. "Dad just died, and you're already one step away from jumping down Spencer's pants, even before we've left the prison. Do you have any decency? How could you? What kind of woman are you? What kind of mother? It's not enough that Spencer probably set this whole thing up from the beginning, and Dad is dead as a result, is it? That's not enough for you. You have to publicly humiliate me by going around kissing Spencer in front of all the TV reporters, the protesters and everyone outside the prison! "

"Starr, please! Let me explain…" Blair tried again, to no avail, as Starr ignored her and continued her tirade.

"I just can't believe what a tramp you really are!" exclaimed Starr bitterly. "Dad just died tonight, and you're already all set to jump into bed with Spencer Truman, who for all we know, was the one who got Margaret to fake her death and then sent her to Thailand, so that he could frame Dad for her murder, and get him executed so that he could have you! It obviously worked, didn't it? Dad died, not even an hour ago, and you're already practically making out with Spencer in public! You are SUCH a slut!"

Blair took a deep breath, and stared her daughter straight in the eye. "Look, Starr. I understand you're upset, and angry. You have………" she said, before stopping and correcting herself. "I mean, we all have just suffered a major loss. I understand you're very distraught and emotional. But I am not going to allow you to speak to me this way. It's been a hard day for all of us. So let's just go home, and discuss this in private. Okay??"

"NO!" shouted Starr, shaking her head as she backed away from her mother. "NO! I am NOT going home with you. I don't want to have anything more to do with you ever again. You are no longer my mother, I HATE YOU! Dad is dead because of you and Spencer! Well, if you want him so bad, you can have him. Enjoy! I just hope the two of you rot in hell for the rest of your lives!"

"Starr, I refuse to stand here discussing this with you." Blair told her daughter firmly. "C'mon, let's just go home now, and we'll talk about this there."

"NO!!!" shrieked Starr, running over to Viki, and encircling her arms around her aunt's abdomen. "I don't want to stay with you, or go anywhere with you from now on! I want to stay with Aunt Viki!"

Blair sighed, rolling her eyes. "C'mon, Starr. Don't be ridiculous! Your Aunt Viki has her own family, and problems to take care of!" she declared. "You're my daughter, and I love you. Besides, you're still a minor - which means that legally, you have to stay with me until you're 18. So just stop all this nonsense, and let's go home."

"NO!!!!" Starr hollered, holding tighter to Viki. " I want to stay with Aunt Viki!"

Above Starr's head, Viki looked at Blair and shrugged her shoulders with an expression as if to say, 'What am I to do?'

"Blair, maybe under the circumstances, considering how distraught Starr is, it might be best for her to just come with me, and spend the night at my house," suggested Viki gently. "Put a little distance between the two of you. Give yourselves some space, and time to cool down………."

Blair sighed heavily, and shook her head. "That's really nice of you to offer, Viki. But I think after what's happened, I just want and need to have my kids with me tonight. I want Starr and Jack at home right now. I hope you understand."

"Of course!" nodded Viki. "I understand. I just thought Starr is really distraught right now, and that she and Blair could use some time apart, to cool down."

Viki was suddenly interrupted, mid-sentence, by Dorian, who stalked up to her, with her hands on her hips. "How DARE you??" demanded Dorian, her eyes flashing angrily. "How DARE you try to turn Starr against her mother?"

"WHAT?" Viki looked at Dorian incredulously. "I'm doing NOTHING of the kind!"

"Yeah right!" Dorian shot back. "Don't try to deny it, Viki! I know what you are trying to do! You people are all alike! You think just because you're Todd's sister, that you can steal Starr away? What business is this of yours, anyway? Starr is Blair's daughter, not yours! What gives you the right to poison Starr's mind against her mother??"

Viki rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Oh, would you please get a grip on your insane paranoia, once and for all, Dorian??" she retorted. "I'm really sick of your constant theatrics. I am not trying to steal Starr, or turn her against Blair! This has been and is hard on all of us. I just wanted to help!"

"I'm sure that's what you'd want us all to believe!" sneered Dorian. "But I know the truth! You're trying to use Todd's death, to poison Starr against her mother!"

"Oh will you just get over yourself??" Viki snapped crossly. "I was just trying to help Starr. She's still my niece and I care about her."

"That doesn't give you any more right over her than me! Does it?" demanded Dorian, crossing her arms across her chest haughtily. "I'm her aunt too!"

Viki's eyes widened as the realization dawned on her. "So that's what this is all about, isn't it??" she declared wryly. "You're just jealous that Starr asked to go home with me instead of with you!"

"No, I'm not!" Dorian scoffed defensively. "I am NOT jealous of you!"

"You are too!"

"No I'm not!"

As Starr, John, Rex, Adriana, Evangeline, Cristian, and Spencer Truman stood there, along with the press and the public, Blair watched Viki and Dorian argue about her daughter in growing agitation. Finally she couldn't bear it anymore.

"All right! That's enough! Both of you cut it out this minute! I REALLY can't take this right now!" Blair shouted, clearly aggravated. She covered her face with her hands for a few minutes, overwhelmed.

Forgetting about her rivalry with Viki for a few seconds, Dorian left Viki, and walked over to Blair and put her arm on her shoulder comfortingly.

"Of course, darling. I understand." Dorian cooed sweetly. "That's why you need your family around you for support. Which is why I was trying to stop Viki from trying to steal Starr and turn her against you, just because she's Todd's sister."

Blair shook her head. "No, Dorian. You did it because you were jealous of her," she murmured thoughtfully. "You resented that Starr immediately went to Viki instead of to you. That's what it is. You were jealous of Viki like you have always been……………………………………………"

"But darling………" Dorian interrupted, before Blair put up her hand to stop her aunt.

"I don't want to argue with you, Dorian." Blair stated firmly. "This is hard on all of us. But as her mother, I have to do what is best for Starr. I agree with Viki. Starr is very distraught and angry right now, and we both need some time apart to cool down. Viki is right. It may be better to put a little distance between us and wait until we're calmer before we see each other again."

Dorian looked at her niece in disbelief. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure," announced Blair resolutely. "I have to do what's best for Starr and Jack from now on, and its best that Starr go with Viki for the night."

Dorian shrugged her shoulders, throwing up her hands in defeat. "All right. It's up to you," she said, before muttering under her breath, "But don't say I didn't warn you!"

Nodding, Blair turned to Starr, and kneeled down a bit, so that she was at eye level with her daughter. "All right, Starr, you can go home with Aunt Viki tonight. But just keep in mind that it's only for the night," she warned. "Tomorrow, you're going to be coming back home, and you're going to have to start dealing with what happened, just as I will, and you are going to have to find a way to make peace with me, and treat me respectfully. Do you understand?"

Starr rolled her eyes, shrugging her shoulders. "Whatever!"

"All right." Blair sighed, dropping her shoulders in discouragement, as she stood up. "I understand you're still angry, so I'll wait to talk until you're calmer. You can go with Aunt Viki now."

As Starr left with Viki, the media reporters began pestering them as they made their way through the crowd, out to the parking lot.

"No comment!" barked Viki as she shielded Starr as best as she could from the cameras and bright lights. With her arm around her shoulders, and her head buried in her chest, they rushed out to her car, with the press hot on their heels. Viki used a remote to unlock the doors, so by the time they got to the car, they were able to just open the doors, jump in and close the doors, and drive off as the reporters kept snapping away.

Meanwhile, back at the prison entrance, Blair was standing with Rex, Adriana, Dorian, Evangeline, Cristian, and John McBain. In the background, stood Spencer Truman, looking, arrogant, and smarmy as usual. After Starr left with Viki, Blair turned to Lieutenant McBain.

"John, I just want to thank you for trying to help Starr." Blair nodded in appreciation. "I don't know what you said, but I'm really grateful. Starr is going to be going through a really hard time now, and I am glad that she can have you to talk to – someone who understands. Whatever you can do to make things a little easier for her, I would really appreciate."

John nodded gruffly. "You're welcome! As I told Starr, I know exactly what she is going through, because I too lost my dad when I was around her age. She is still really angry, but I told her that I want to be her friend, and I am here for her whenever she wants to talk. That offer still stands, and goes for you too."

Through the tears pooling in her eyes, Blair managed a small, weak smile. "Thanks so much, John!"

"No problem!" answered John quietly. "I just wish I had done more. If only I could have found a way to save Todd before it was too late. Then maybe Starr and Jack wouldn't have to experience, and live with this kind of pain for the rest of their lives. I don't think I'll ever be able to get over this,"

Blair nodded silently, as a few tears slipped from her eyes and rolled down her cheeks.

"Well, I should really get going." John stated, glancing at his watch. "I'm going to head over to the LPD. I'm sure Bo and Hugh have their hands full, questioning Margaret, and I want to help. Who knows, maybe I might even be able to get enough evidence from Margaret to finally charge a suspect in my father's murder."

"Good luck!" Blair smiled for a second, before becoming serious again. "John, please get Margaret, and don't let her use this fake amnesia act to squirm her way out of this. I mean it. An innocent man was murdered, my kids are going to suffer the rest of their lives without their father. Please, you have to make her pay. You can't let her get away this. Promise me??"

John sighed. "I promise that we'll do our very best to not let that happen," he said, before leaning in, and whispering so softly that only Blair could hear. "But if I were you, I'd keep my distance from Spencer too. I don't know if and how he is tied into all of this – but there are just so many connections, coincidences and unanswered questions. Dr. Truman may not have done anything, or he could actually be the mastermind of this whole plot. He may be a very dangerous sociopath. Or he might not be. Right now, we don't know. Until we do, I would stay as far away from Spencer Truman as possible."

"Thanks!" Blair nodded in appreciation. "I'll take it under serious advisement."

"Yeah, well I'd better get back to the station," mumbled John as he turned and started to walk away. "Remember what I said, and take care."

"I will, thanks!"

After John left, Cristian and Evangeline soon followed and once they had gone, the crowd of protesters, and observers soon started dispersing too. Soon, only the media reporters remained, waiting impatiently to get interviews or comments from Blair, and her family.

Spencer, who had been standing in the background, since Starr caught him and Blair in a kiss, now came up to Blair and put his arm around her shoulder, tenderly. "It's all over now. Don't worry!" he whispered. "Everything is going to be all right, Blair. Now that Todd's gone, and it's all over with, we can finally get on with our lives."

Blair stared at Spencer, aghast. "It's true isn't it?" she said, in disbelief. "Starr, Evangeline, and everyone were right! You set Todd up! You're the one who engineered this plot to frame Todd for murder, and get him executed, aren't you??"

Spencer looked stunned at the accusation coming from Blair's mouth. "What?" he exclaimed in his usual slick and patronizing tone. "No, of course not! How could you think something like that of me, Blair? I admit I didn't like Todd. But you know I could never do something like this, right??"

"I don't know!" admitted Blair skeptically, looking unconvinced. "I don't know what I know anymore. All this time, I truly thought Todd was guilty, and now it turns out he wasn't. He really was innocent, and he was executed for a crime that never even happened!"

Spencer shook his head, annoyed that even after his death, Todd still had a hold on his former wife. "_When will I finally have Blair all to myself??_"

"It's okay, Blair," crooned Spencer in mock sympathy. "I understand you're upset and distraught. After everything that's happened, you must be exhausted. Why don't we go home now, and you can rest? I promise I'll be stay with you as long as you need. All right??"

Blair shook her head. "Thanks for the offer, Spencer," she said insincerely. "But I think I just need to be alone tonight. So you should just go back to your own place. I just want to be by myself."

"You can't mean that!" Spencer remarked in disappointment. "You've just had a major trauma - losing Todd, then your fight with Starr. You shouldn't be alone. You need to be with people who care about you. Especially tonight."

"Thanks, Spencer, but I'll be fine," answered Blair, trying to tactfully get rid of Spencer Truman, without revealing to him her belief in his guilt. "I promise, I'll be okay. Just go on home!"

"Hey, man! You heard the lady! Just get on out of here!" Rex ordered. "I mean it. She doesn't need you. No one needs you. You shouldn't even have been here, and just because you found a way to worm yourself in, does not mean you are wanted here! So just do as Blair asked, and leave!"

"Why, it's Rex Balsom!" mocked Spencer scornfully. "What are you now, Blair's white knight in shining armor, come to rescue her from the big bad Spencer Truman? I think you're a little too late, Balsom! Blair's mine!"

"EXCUSE ME??" Blair thundered. "I am NOT 'anyone's'! I am my own person, and I belong to nobody! Least of all, to you, Spencer! Now will you please just leave me alone, and go home??"

Spencer looked at her, shocked. "Blair??" he cried out. "You can't possibly mean that! You need me!"

"No, I don't!" insisted Blair firmly. "I need to be by myself. Please just go home, Spencer!"

"Blair??"

Rex came up to Spencer menacingly. "All right, Spencer, You heard Blair. This is your last warning! Get out of here now – while you still can!"

"Blair??" Spencer said, before looking at her, and with a sigh of frustration, he shrugged his shoulders, and left. He walked away, turning back every so often, hoping that Blair would call him back.

After Spencer left, with tear-filled eyes, Blair stared at the walls of the prison in anguish, contempt, sorrow, and hatred. Despite her pronouncement that Starr would return home the next day, she knew that, deep down, it would not make any difference. The damage had been done. The relationship between her and Starr, stormy though it was at times, was never going to survive this."

"_Starr really hates me now_," Blair thought dully, filled with the certainty that Starr would probably never get over the loss of her beloved father. Although legally, she could keep her daughter in her custody and control until her 18th birthday, deep down in her heart, Blair knew that it would be completely against Starr's will. Most likely, the second she turned 18 and became a legal adult, Starr would leave, and never come back or have any further contact with her. Blair was positive that Starr would always blame her and hold her responsible for Todd's death. "_I should never have gotten involved with Spencer Truman! Starr will NEVER forgive me!"_

"Blair?" Dorian called out, interrupting her reverie. "Are you listening to me? Blair??"

Blair stared at Dorian, disoriented. "Huh? What??"

Dorian sighed. "Darling, I asked if you are ready to go," she murmured patiently. "There's nothing more we can really do here now. Why don't we go home??"

"Uh……uh………..yeah……….…" Blair stammered, shaky and dazed. "Home."

"Let's go home, sweetheart," suggested Dorian, putting her hand gently on her niece's shoulder. "You can come with us to La Boulaie, and stay with me and Adriana, as long as you need."

Refocusing herself, Blair sighed and shook her head. "Thank you for the offer, Dorian," she answered. "But I'm going to just go back to my place. If you can just keep Jack with you for the night, it would be a very big help. I think I need to be alone for a little while."

"I don't think that, that's such a good idea." Dorian looked at her anxiously. "After everything that has happened, you shouldn't be alone. You really need to be with your family right now, for support."

"I really appreciate your concern, Dorian," said Blair gratefully. "But I really want to be by myself right now. I need some time and space to think."

"Are you sure??"

Blair nodded. "Yeah, I'll be fine," she reassured her aunt. "You, Adriana and Rex can go on home. I'll be okay."

Dorian looked unconvinced. "All right. If you say so. But don't hesitate to call me immediately if you need me."

"I will." Blair promised. "Now go on."

With a sigh of defeat, Dorian reluctantly walked away, together with Adriana and Rex. After they had left, Blair stood in the same spot for several minutes, staring at the prison walls, unable to move, incapable of leaving the place where her former husband, true love, and the father of her children was murdered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

Finally, after about 15 or 20 minutes, of just standing there, staring at the prison, and hoping, wishing, and praying for him to just come walking out its doors, she brushed away the tears pooling in her eyes, and turned and walked away. She pushed through the throng of determined and pushy media reporters with a terse "No comment", and made her way to the parking lot.

In the parking lot, Blair got in her car, and somehow made the drive home in shock and grief. When she reached home, she went inside, and dropping her purse by the coat-stand, she poured herself a drink, and sank tiredly on the sofa, and closed her eyes. She must have dozed off, because the next thing she knew, it was an hour later, and she was waking up to the sound of a sharp and persistent knocking on her front door.

Grumbling, Blair pulled herself up off the sofa, and trudged over to the front door. When she opened it, who was standing there but……………………………………………Spencer Truman.

To Be Continued……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………


End file.
